Timor-Leste’s National Strategic Development Plan (SDP) 2011-2030 prioritizes infrastructure as a catalyst for economic growth, job creation, and private sector development. However, the country’s vulnerability to climate change—ranked among the world’s most at-risk nations to disasters—demands that any future investments in infrastructure should integrate climate resilience and sustainability, ensuring long-term benefits to people. Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) offers a transformative pathway to align infrastructure spending with environmental and social goals. By embedding SPP into procurement laws and practices, Timor-Leste can build climate-resilient infrastructure to withstand floods, cyclones, and landslides; boost local industries using local renewable resources like bamboo; reduce cost of insurance for stranded physical assets; and strengthen local supply chains. This brief outlines how Timor-Leste can institutionalize SPP, with lessons from global experiences on balancing development and climate adaptation in vulnerable regions.
